The report the Institute of Medicine released last Wednesday officially claims that Americans' salt intake is too high, calling for the FDA to undertake regulatory steps towards sodium content in foods.

An FDA press release initiated this week posted that Americans salt consumption is several times high compared to our body requirements.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the average American salt intake is twice as much as their daily recommendation, 2300 milligrams of sodium.

High salt intake poses a severe threat to people with high blood pressure, need less.

For them eating too much sodium can result in high blood pressure, which can further cause arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), aneurysm, heart disease, stroke, dementia and other cognitive impairments, kidney failure, and damage to the blood vessels, nerves, and retina in the eyes.

The CDC statistic attributes 77% of the average Americans' daily sodium intake to processed foods, which is surely not a surprise for any of us.

In addition, salt in the diet also comes from many low-fat foods, as sodium has made up for flavor lost while keeping the focus on low-fat.

So, in the end, the best way is to concentrate on eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, prefer flavor foods with other herbs instead of salt. Summer is a great time to start growing your own herbs as well!